Chapter Fifty-two: The Crimson Flower Courtyard

  The origin of the name "Wind Flower City" is quite interesting. The city was built next to a deep hurricane abyss, and within 100 miles outside the city, it's filled with phoenix trees. Whenever the four seasons' winds blow out from the abyss, they scatter the orange phoenix flowers everywhere, making it look like a city surrounded by wind and flowers from afar, hence the name "Wind Flower City".

  However, Fenghuacheng is not as beautiful as its name suggests, because it is close to the Hurricane Abyss, and in each of the four seasons every year, four different strange winds blow out from the abyss. The winter wind is icy cold, the spring wind cuts like a knife, the summer heat burns people's hearts and bodies, and the autumn wind moves people's spirits.

  But for the people of Fenghuacheng, these are not disasters, they have long been accustomed to the arrival of the four seasons. The real disaster comes from the undead in the hurricane abyss. The strongest undead within a thousand miles of Dalun City is only Viscount-level, with the Earl of Dalun sitting in Dalun City, Dalun City can be said to be as stable as Mount Tai.

  However, Fenghuacheng is different. Not to mention distant places, but even in the depths of the hurricane abyss, there exists a Count-level undead tribe, and among them, Viscount-level undead tribes are extremely numerous. The people of Fenghuacheng must spend a lot of time killing the undead in the abyss to ensure that the undead in the abyss will not form large tribes, thereby rushing out of the abyss and destroying Fenghuacheng. Looking at the entire First Tier of Light, cities destroyed by the undead are not uncommon in history, and the people of Fenghuacheng do not want to become the next chapter in history.

  And that undead Earl-level creature, every time it revived, required the Windflower Earl to personally take action and kill it, in order to ensure the safety of Windflower City.

  The current Windflower City is in a state of panic, because the lifespan limit of Countess Windflower has not much left, at most only twenty years of life are left. If she cannot break through the countess title within this period, she can only watch her remaining life dwindle to zero.

  The Earl of Fenghua is going to die, but the city of Fenghua has not given birth to a new earl for a long time. This has cast a shadow over the hearts of the people living in Fenghua City.

  Fortunately, Countess Fenghua had made a decision earlier. Although she herself did not have any descendants, she chose five girls with whom she had connections to become her successors and ensured that one of them could be promoted to countess, even after her death, to continue protecting Fenghuacheng from being destroyed.

  However, the Countess of Windflower wants these five girls to compete for that one spot themselves, and she doesn't care what means they use, because what she needs is the strongest successor, only in this way can she ensure that the foundation of Windflower City will not be lost.

  When Bai Cang arrived at Feng Hua City, the five girls and their backing forces had already been fighting fiercely throughout the city, each force recruiting soldiers and strengthening themselves while weakening their enemies.

  Among the five forces, Feng Xian's force is the strongest. The Wind family was originally a large clan in Feng Hua City, and since the founding of Feng Hua City by Feng Hua Earl, they have been following Feng Hua Earl and can be said to be one of the founding families of Feng Hua City.

  Secondly, there is Huajianwu of the Wanhuashanghui, the Hua family is also a veteran of Fenghuacheng, although not as powerful as the Feng family, but because they control the Wanhuashanghui, their family's financial resources are very strong, recruiting many masters, and even subjugating many knights.

  Lingbo and Meiyun also had some background, although they were not as strong as Fengxian and Huachanwu, but they were not weak either.

  Among the five girls, the one that left everyone guessing was Yan Mengyun. It wasn't because she was mysterious and powerful, but because she was too weak.

  Her parents were both viscounts, but they had only been promoted to viscount for twenty or thirty years and did not have any background in Windflower City. They didn't have much power either. Yet, a girl from such a family was chosen by the Earl of Windflower as one of his five successors, which shocked many people in Windflower City at that time.

  If it weren't for Feng Hua Bo's five great knights being placed beside the five girls to protect their safety, Yan Meng Yun would have been strangled by the other four.

  Even with the protection of the knights, Yan Mengyun's current days are still not going well. In the competition with the other four girls, she frequently loses and can almost be said to have lost all hope of inheriting Fenghuacheng.

  After understanding the situation in Fenghuacheng, Bai Cangdong was even more grateful that he didn't rashly go to find Yan Mengyun. The other four girls had at least twenty or thirty viscounts helping them from behind, while Yan Mengyun only had a aunt and two of her parents' good friends, five viscounts in total, assisting her. Even if he joined in, it was impossible for him to defy the heavens and change his fate to defeat the other four forces.

  "The Huajia is recruiting guests, those with skills are welcome to try out. The treatment and pay will not disappoint you." Fenghuacheng is located in a strategic location, while taking risks, it also brings great benefits. Because the Hurricane Abyss produces several special equipment and medicinal materials that are of great help to the Viscounts, many Viscounts from other cities come to Fenghuacheng to stay.

  The Feng and Hua families have been making great efforts to recruit viscounts from outside, trying to expand their own strength and crush their opponents at once.

  "What kind of benefits can one get by becoming a door guest of your esteemed House?" Bai Cangdong asked, wearing a mask as he arrived at the recruitment office of House Hua.

  "Is this friend a viscount or a baron?" The viscount in charge of recruitment looked at Bai Cangdong with a slight frown, because the mask covered Bai Cangdong's entire face, making it impossible to see his appearance. Such an unknown person, especially at this sensitive time, made the people of Hua's family very cautious.

  "Viscount." Bai Cangdong slightly pulled down his mask, revealing the viscount's mark on his forehead, before putting it back on.

  "May I ask what your title is?" The viscount in charge of recruitment asked again.

  "Mask." Bai Cangdong replied succinctly, as he had already looked it up himself. The martial power ranking list indeed had a person named Viscount Mask, but he didn't know where that person was.

  That person searched for a long time and finally found the title of Viscount Mask on the martial power ranking list, but still hesitated for a moment. Then, looking at Bai Cangdong, he said: "I don't know if it's convenient for you to take off your mask and let us see your true face?"

  "It's inconvenient." Bai Cangdong replied equally succinctly.

  "In that case, I'm afraid it would be difficult for you to recruit me into the Huahua family." The viscount hesitated for a moment and still refused Bai Cangdong. He would rather lose a viscount than allow someone with an unknown background to infiltrate the Huahua family at this time.

  Bai Cangdong didn't say much more and turned around to head towards the Wind Clan's recruitment office.

  "Please stay." A soft, gentle voice entered Bai Cangdong's ears. A beautiful woman wearing court attire stepped down from the carriage and came to stand in front of him.

  "Miss Senmu." The viscount in charge of recruiting personnel bowed respectfully to the woman.

  Hua Qianwu smiled and responded with a gentle voice, then slowly walked to Bai Cangdong's front, softly asking: "Some time ago, I heard that in the Knife Lun City, there emerged a viscount who could behead earls. What is your relationship with him?"

  "If there wasn't a second Masked Baron, then that person would be me." Bai Cangdong replied.

  "Who would have thought that you had already been promoted to Viscount, what a wonderful surprise. I heard that you are proficient in the 'Eight Steps of Heaven' and have even reached the point of being able to enter a state of ecstasy, I wonder if you can open my eyes?" Hua Qianwu's eyes sparkled as she looked at Bai Cangdong.

  "There's no time." Bai Cangdong shook his head and turned around to leave.

  "Please slow down, if you are indeed the Viscount of Masks, our Hua family is willing to invite you as our guest. However, since you don't want to reveal your true face, then at least take out something that can prove your identity?" Huachunwu called out to Bai Cangdong once again.

  Bai Cangdong suddenly sprang up and grabbed towards Hua Qianwu's head without saying a word.

  "How bold!" Hua Qianwu didn't make any move, but the two viscounts beside him charged out, their double swords simultaneously slashing towards Bai Cangdong. The cyan light on the swords condensed into a sword aura, stretching for several meters.

  In the moment when the sword light was about to reach him, Bai Cangdong made a strange and wonderful turn in mid-air, dodging two unmatched sword lights and continuing to fly towards Hua Qianwu.

  Those two viscounts also reacted quickly, and their swords flashed again as they attacked Bai Cangdong.

  Bai Cang's body was in the air, but it was as if he was walking on flat ground. He passed through layers of sword light that were impossible to think about, his figure brushing past Hua Qianwu's dance, and landed not far away, with a crystal-clear jade hairpin appearing in his hand.

  "We deserve death, Miss. Please punish us." The two viscounts knelt down to Hanae Kaito in shock.

  "You can't stop a prodigy who can practice the 'Eight Steps in Heaven' to the sixth step, it's not your fault, get up. "Hua Qianwu turned to Bai Cang and bowed: "Welcome to join my Hua family."

  Bai Cangdong successfully infiltrated the Hua family, only to discover that they were even more powerful than he had imagined. There were dozens of viscounts like him who had been recruited to live in the Honghua Villa, but these were not the fundamental strength of the Hua family.

  "Viscount, Miss Senbu has invited you to the hall for a chat. All the viscounts have already gone."

  In the Hong Hua Bie Yuan, he stayed for two days and never saw Hua Qian Wu and the high-ranking officials of the Hua family again. Bai Cang Dong was secretly anxious when a maid suddenly brought some good news.

  When Bai Cangdong stepped into the hall, he found that most of the viscounts living in the Hong Hua Villa had already arrived. Huajianwu was sitting upright in the main seat and smiled slightly, nodding to him as he entered.

  Bai Cangdong smiled slightly and then sat down in a position under the guidance of the maid.

  "They say that a thousand days of training are used in a single moment. I've gathered everyone here today because something very troublesome has happened to Qianwu, and we need your help. I don't know if you nobles are willing to lend Qianwu a helping hand." After all the nobles had arrived, Hua Qianwu finally got to the point.